IATA calls for industry collaboration on safety management as it announces conference

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is organising a conference for aviation safety experts to advance safety management by sharing knowledge accumulated over the decade since the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) safety management standards and recommended practices were introduced.

While Safety Management provisions have a ten-year history, 2013 saw a major change as these provisions were consolidated into the newly-created Annex 19 of the Chicago Convention. In March of this year, Safety Management standards and recommended practices were strengthened with the first amendment to Annex 19, which will need to be implemented by November 2019.

The IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA), a condition for IATA membership, includes Safety Management Systems (SMS) as part of its standards and recommended practices (ISARPs). IOSA will be updated by November 2019 to reflect the Annex 19 amendments.

“Safety is the number one priority for all involved in aviation. A commitment to global standards—such as SMS and IOSA—has contributed to making flying the safest form of long distance transportation the world has even known, and we are committed to making it ever safer. The biggest lesson from our first decade of Safety Management experience is that the greatest benefits will be derived when all stakeholders collaborate and align their efforts in implementation and ongoing operation of their respective programmes.

This conference is an opportunity to facilitate the sharing of experiences from the first decade of Safety Management—successes and challenges. That will allow us to collectively develop programs and strategies to maximize the benefits of Safety Management today and into the future,” said Gilberto López Meyer, IATA’s Senior Vice President for Safety and Flight Operations.

The conference, under the theme “A Decade in Review and the Vision Forward,” will be hosted by the United Arab Emirates General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA)and Etihad Airways, and will take place in Abu Dhabi, October 25-27.

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